Professor Misty Jenkins is a NHMRC Investigator Fellow and Laboratory Head in the Personalised Oncology Division at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI). She leads the Immunotherapy Program and serves as Co-Director of Research Strategy at the Brain Cancer Centre.

Her research focuses on discovering novel immunotherapy targets and developing and testing chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapies for adult and paediatric brain cancer. Her lab has developed high throughput library screens to identify novel binders. They utilise cutting-edge two-photon microscopy combined with mouse models to investigate the tumour microenvironment, uncovering unique aspects of brain tumour biology. She has developed several CAR T cells and is actively planning clinical translation for brain cancer patients.

Prof Jenkins obtained a PhD in Immunology from The University of Melbourne with Nobel laureate Prof Peter Doherty, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, and the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre.

She has been recognised with numerous awards, including, the L’Oréal For Women in Science Fellowship (2013); Tall Poppy of the Year (2015); AFR Top 100 Women of Influence Award (2016); Induction into the Victorian Honour Roll of Women (2020); and inducted as a fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (2024).

Beyond her research, Prof Jenkins is a respected leader in governance and strategy, serving as a company director and co-chairing a Federal Health Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) committee. She is a passionate advocate for gender equity, Indigenous health, and education.

In 2023, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) for distinguished service to medical science in immunology, the advancement of women in STEM, and contributions to the Indigenous community.